Character History Requirements Elucidated: Abstract to Concrete

Ever since version 1.0, the HiBRiD character creation rules have always required the writing of a character history. This requirement separated HIBRiD from many other simulation games and was one of the first components of the game that carried it from its simulation-style roots to the more narrative-style games.

One problem since the very beginning, however, has always been that some people are not budding writers, some people just want to get in and hack, and some people would love to but just simply don't have the time.

While I described the requirement quite elaborately in HIBRiD 1.0, one of the major changes in the switch to 2.0, beside the change to the d20, was a decreased emphasis on prose and more of a focus on the components required to be considered complete. The problem was, in a manner similar to describing how Ite' was supposed to be used, it was nebulous and vague. In a manner similar to the way I brushed the Ite' elucidation under the rug, so I did the same with the character history requirements.

Until today.

As a break from the templates, the Pharmacology for Gamers article, and getting ready for GenCon 2013, I started editing the next chapter after templates for the Ara Knochen. In the process of compiling all the various documents into one file for the final edit, I found myself reframing all the rules in cinematic terms, which solved a problem of how to organize the overall book I have been struggling with for about two years.

<somewhat of a tangential thread>

The book will now be divided into three sections. The first section, Off-Screen Activities, will include the procedures and rules for Character Creation and Character Improvement as well as Aspect and Skill Descriptions. The second section, On-Screen Activities, will include guidelines for conducting dramatic scenes (read as using task rolls to accomplish important non-combat tasks), action scenes (read as combat and chase scenes), and managing exposition scenes (tips on role-playing, timing and managing scenes, including switching between different scene types). The third section, Ara Knochen Gazeteer, will include all Ara Knochen setting information and templates.

</somewhat of a tangential thread>

In the process of reorganizing the chapter, I finally hammered out the bare minimum requirements for creating just enough history ready for play. On first glance, the list appears to break My Rule of Three  (A rule I will explain later should any of you request its elucidation), but it really doesn't. Instead it is still three components 1 person + 1 event + 1 motivation, with 3 components embedded on the event component ). In any case, the basics are as follows:

1 person

1 event to explain skills

1 event to explain reason for his current location

1 event explaining his wealth level

1 life or death motivation

With this list, I figure the time ti takes to create character can be cut by even 3 to 5 more minutes, as now the player can simply use a few words and phrases instead of being forced to write a complete missive.

By the way,  for those who wish a sneak peek, I present the actual prose from the chapter:

Step Two: Write Your Character's History

Once you select your character's template and note the various components down on your piece of paper, the next step is to write your character's history.

All characters bring with them their life experiences prior to the beginning of the story.These experiences are your character's motivation and will help guide you as you play him through the game.

This background may be written as a long narrative or short list, as long as it contains at least one of each of the following three elements:

The first element of your character's history, people, lists and describes one or more people that have affected him in some deeply emotional way. Your character must have at least one person that he is emotionally attached to in either a positive or negative way.

The second element of your character's history, events, are those things that have happened to him that have shaped who he is. To be complete, you must have at least one event to explain the manner in which your character learned his skills, one that provides the reason he lives where he lives, and one that explains the amount of money (and other material objects) he possesses.

The third element of your character's history, heroic motivation, is a sentence that details that for which your character would be willing to die. To be complete, your character must have at least one heroic motivation.

Pharmacology for Gamers: Part One

Purpose

Poisons are a common source of wonder, confusion, danger, and ultimately character death in role-playing games. Between the number and variety of effects of poisons as well as complexities of the mechanics of the game system, the balance of realism versus playability can be difficult to achieve.

Different game systems approach the problem differently. At one end of the spectrum, simulation-based systems often try to reflect the effects of different poisons in terms specific game mechanics. The danger of this approach is that the more heavy a game system in terms of mechanics, the more complex the rules for poisons become and the more difficult they become to play. At the other end of the spectrum, narrative-based game systems choose to either eschew or only lightly document the effects of poisons on character in terms of the game mechanics and simply frame poisons descriptively in terms of how the characters perceive and are affected by them. The danger of this approach is that while descriptive and easy to play, in those situations where estimation is difficult due to the lack of knowledge of a poison or experience of a director (or the players) can cause a breakdown in the fragile suspension of disbelief required for story centered games are trying to attain.

The problem that I see as a director (and a game designer) with these two traditional game-design methodologies is that there is the potential to fall short in cases where a director might want either a heavier mechanic-system for his ordinarily rules-light game or a lighter system for his rules-heavy game. In keeping with the HiBRiD philosophy and my own penchant for hacking that which needs no hacking, I have decided to tackle this rather esoteric problem in a novel way.

Rather than approaching from either of the aforementioned traditional directions, I am going instead to explore the problem in several steps. First, I will reduce the complex mathematics required in modeling the effects of poisons in our own world to a more intuitive, descriptive model with just enough simple mathematics to get ideas across. I’ll then apply this new numbers-light model towards the two different ends of the game-design spectrum simultaneously, with the hope of giving game moderators the tools they need to build their own playable poison system based on real science to fit in with the game system and style they wish.

Part One: General Science

An Introduction to Pharmacology

Poisons are chemical compounds that affect the structure or functioning of a living organism in some way. The scientific and clinical study of the interactions between poisons (and other chemical compounds) and living organisms is referred to as pharmacology. Pharmacology can be further broken down into a number of branches, however, this discussion will limit itself to two branches in particular. The first branch, pharmacodynamics, refers to the study of how a chemical compound affects the body of an organism. The second branch, pharmacokinetics, refers to the study of how the body of an organism affects a chemical compound.

To easiest way to begin discussion of both of these branches of pharmacology is to begin by thinking of any organism as a container of water with an input valve and an output valve. Pharmacology begins when the first molecule of a chemical compound enters into the container of water and ends when the last molecule of a chemical compound exits the container of water. As I go though this discussion of pharmacology, I will come back to this model and simply add or subtract things as needed when necessary to make a point.

HiBRiD Psionics Origin

One of the reasons I integrated psionics into the HiBRiD rules was that I felt they got a bad shake in every RPG I ever played. I hated (and still hate) psionics rules that require points to use, task rolls to use, or force game balance through mechanical means.

To me, psionics should be consistent with the laws of physics; they should be cinematic but not mystic. Using them should be as easy as describing any non-psionic action. Game balance should be maintained by the setting...If you are powerful, it is only normal human nature that people will seek you out for whatever reason.

My first answer to using psionics before HiBRiD version 1.0 was the development of an add-on system for the Morrow Project role playing game. While the game had the most complex rules form combat, the rules for psionics were the loosest I had ever seen, so I used them as a basis for my first attempt at a workable system.

So here, as a treat, is that first attempt:

A New Method for Morrow Project Character Psychic Ability Determination

Foreword

The Morrow Project is founded on a great gaming premise. While not fond of the system’s numerous charts, tables, and complex combat systems, I know other people do like them, lumps and all. But the incompleteness and brevity of its rules with regards to psychic capabilities of characters are cursory and ill defined. The rules presented here are offered as a substitute for those provided in the Morrow Project game book TM 1-1.

Section 1: Important Attributes for Psychic Abilities

For the most part, the attributes in these rules are the same as listed in TM 1-1, however there are two main differences. 

Reconsidering an Old Attribute: PSI

The first difference, under these guidelines, lies in what the PSI attribute represents. PSI is still considered an inherent Attribute in all characters. It is not only used to represent a character’s potential to possess psychic abilities, but also his ability to defend himself against psychic attacks. 

If your character possesses psychic abilities, the PSI Attribute also represents the total capacity of all of his psychic abilities. If your character possesses 2 or more psychic abilities, you need to divide this PSI between all of his psychic ability Force Values (which will be explained shortly), though you may do so in any way you choose. 

Unlike many of your character’s other attributes, your character’s PSI Attribute cannot be improved.

Adding A New Attribute: Perception

One thing of importance lacking in the Morrow Project rules is an attribute representing your character’s Perception (hereafter noted as PERC). Perception represents your character’s physical and mental ability to perceive his surroundings accurately. Perception is the attribute that determines how hard it is to sneak up on your character, his ability to sense poisons or chemicals, and his ability to observe distances when determining such things as ranges for both direct and indirect fire weapons. Perception also determines how far away your character can accurately discern one distant object from another. Your character’s range for visual acuity is designated as 5 meters times your character’s PERC. (Thus, with a PERC of 10, your character can discern between a target and a non-target on a clear day from 50 meters away.) 

Perception is also an important attribute for your character if he possesses psychic abilities, as it helps to determine his initial Control Value with his these abilities as well as the range over which they may be used. These will be explained in Section 3 more thoroughly. 

Like his PSI Attribute, your character’s PERC Attribute cannot be improved.

Determining Your Character’s Attributes

Morrow Project is a role-playing game, and you should be able to play the role of a character you enjoy rather than one that has been designated by dice rolls. Rather than randomly rolling for your character’s Attributes, you may simply assign 85 Points among your character’s attributes (INT, STR, PSI, PERC, LUCK, DEX, CON, CHAR). You should still follow the maximum and minimum limits as outlined in the Morrow Project TM 1-1 Rule Book.

Section 2: Creating Your Character

For the most part, the process for making a character is not changed from that described in TM 1-1.Besides the differences in determining Attributes mentioned above, use the following rules for determining your character’s psychic abilities rather than those listed in TM 1-1.

Step 1: Determine if your character possesses psychic abilities

To determine whether or not your character possesses psychic capabilities, add your character’s PSI and Luck Attributes.This determines the percent chance your character possesses a psychic ability. If you roll this number or less on a d%, your character possesses psychic abilities beyond those required to defend himself.

Step 2: Determine the number and type of psychic abilities your character possesses

Once you have determined that your character actually possesses psychic ability, you need to determine how many and what type of abilities your character possesses. Tables are included here for those of you who like tables and want to determine all character psychic abilities randomly. If you want to, however, and the Project Director agrees, you can just use the first chart to determine the number of abilities your character gets and choose the actual abilities from those listed in Step 3.

Kinetic Abilities-These abilities allow your character to manipulate matter and/or energy on the atomic or quantum level by mere thought.

Mentalic Abilities-These abilities represent the ability to perceive and manipulate the mental processes and infinitely subtle electrical patterns of any creature with any sort of neuro-biological function. 

Correspondent Abilities-These abilities represent the ability to perceive and manipulate an object’s distinct and absolute position in both time and space. Unlike kinetic abilities, which generate force to move or affect objects or energy through space on a given timeline, correspondent allows your character to literally break down these barriers, and hop from space to space on a given timeline, or between two different timelines in a given space.

Table 1: Ability Type Table

01-25       One Kinetic Ability

26-99       One Mentalic Ability

00            Unique Ability (Roll on Table 2)

Table 2: Uniqueness

01-45       Two Kinesis Abilities

46-90       Two Mentalic Abilities

91-99       One Kinetic and One Mentalic Ability 

00            One Correspondence Ability

Step 3: Determine the specific psychic abilities your character possesses.

Once you have determined how many and what type of abilities your character possesses, you need to determine which specific ability your character possesses. Again, the tables are provided if the Project Director wishes to use them, otherwise, simply choose from the 14 abilities listed below.

Table 3: Correspondence Abilities

01-75       Place 

76-00       Time     

Table 4: Mentalic Abilities

01-25       Emotions

26-50       Thoughts

51-75       Perceptions

76-85       Dreams

86-95       Drives

96-00       Memories

Table 5: Kinetic Abilities

01-30       Telekinesis

31-60       Thermokinesis

61-85       Biokinesis

86-90       Electrokinesis

91-95       Photokinesis

96-00       Sonokinesis

Step 4: Determine your character’s starting Force Value and Control Value for each of his psychic abilities.

Once you have determined which specific psychic abilities your character possesses, you need to determine how powerful your character’s ability is(as measured by a value known as the ability’s Force Value) as well as how much control he can exert when using his abilities (As measured by a value known as the ability’s Control Value.) 

The Force Value

The total amount of force (or the extent to which your character can use a psychic ability) is determined by a number known as that ability’s Force Value. If your character possesses one such ability, then that ability’s Force Value is simply equal to your character’s PSI attribute. Because the PSI attribute represents the total amount of psychic ability your character possesses, if your character possesses more than one ability, then his PSI attribute must be divided between the two abilities, however you are free to do so as you see fit. Once you assign an ability’s Force Value, it remains that way throughout the rest of your character’s life. 

The exact definitions and capacities that the Force Value represents in game terms are described more specifically in Section 3.One common feature to all telekinetic abilities, however, is that each ability’s Force Value represents the amount of damage the ability can directly cause to a living target in a single combat round.

The Control Value

The amount of accuracy and control your character possesses with a psychic ability is called its Control Value. Your character’s initial Control Value is determined by adding his Luck and Perception Attributes. This determines his percent chance of successfully using or controlling the ability, depending on the ability’s description. Your character’s control value is increased just as any other skill in the game.

Section 3:Psychic Ability Descriptions

The Kinetic Abilities

Telekinesis

This ability represents the classic mind over matter telekinesis of literature and legend. It allows your character to perform any number of tasks, anything from throwing a switch on a far wall to flinging things about to creating inertial barriers that cushion blows or stop relatively slow missiles. 

Your character can manipulate a number of kilograms equal to his Force Value without having to make a roll to control the power. If the power is used to manipulate a mass greater than Force Value, or he uses the ability to cause damage to an opponent, he must make a Task Roll to see if he succeeds. Invasive use of this ability does one point of damage to the target for every point of Force Value your character possesses with the telekinetic ability.

Electrokinesis

This ability allows your character to control the flow of electrons through various substances. As a result, any natural phenomenon based on the flow of electrons from one place to another can be initiated and controlled by this ability. Examples of such phenomenon include photosynthesis, magnetism, the rusting of iron, and the generation and flow of electricity. 

When using this Skill to rust or magnetize iron, your character can affect a total mass of iron equal to his Force Value. It takes ten minutes to affect this much mass. Rusting occurs evenly throughout the substance being rusted, however a Task Roll can be made to control the point where the rusting occurs. A successful Task Roll indicates that at the end of one Action Round, only the specific spot desired by your character is oxidized. Iron objects only remain magnetized as long as your character maintains his concentration.

Using this ability to generate electricity allow your character is able to generate enough electricity to generate a number of Volts of electricity equal to his Force Value. In order to affect living creatures, a Task Roll is required to target the electrical energy and send enough current through at one time to damage the target. Such an invasive use of this ability does one point of damage for every point of Force Value your character possesses. When used on non-living targets, this ability can be used to short circuit primitive electrical systems or control the functions of more complicated electronics systems. With enough skill, your character may even be able to control a computer's functions or shatter fragile crystals.

Thermokinesis 

This ability allows your character to increase (Pyrokinesis) or decrease (Cryokinesis) the vibrational movement of the molecules within a target to the point where its temperature starts to rise or fall, and will continue to rise or fall for as long he concentrates. Once concentration is terminated, the object’s temperature will take as many rounds to cool down to its normal temperature as it did to heat up.

When used invasively, this ability may be used to either burn one specific area on the target's body or to generate a large amount of heat throughout the creature's body water. Using this ability in either of these ways does a number of points of damage per round equal to your character's Force Value. In non-living targets, this ability’s effectiveness is dependent on the nature of the material being affected. Both of these invasive uses of this ability require a successful Task Roll in order to perform them.

Photokinesis

This ability allows your character to perceive light in all wavelengths from the ultraviolet to the infrared spectrum with not only his eyes but also his entire body as well. Task Rolls are required to sense light within the UV and IR regions.

This ability also allows your character to alter the intensity of light within the range of his Perception. He can make lit areas darker to the point where shadows may actually be created or destroyed as well as areas of intense light. He can move shadows or patches of light (known to some photokineticists as “light shadows”) about in willed shapes if he maintains concentration. Once your character ceases to concentrate, the image disappears.

This ability also allows your character to alter the path or wavelength of light around any object or person within the range determined by your character’s PERC attribute. Any target so cloaked is undetectable by normal senses when immobile, and when mobile, a Critical Success is required on a Task Roll to perceive the target object or person.

Finally, this ability allows your character to manipulate light to such an extent where the wavelength may be made uniform and the intensity powerful enough to create a laser powerful enough to burn holes in steel given enough time and a strong enough light source. This requires a Task Roll to successfully create the laser beam. Such a beam from a strongly illuminated room can burn through 1 mm of metal per round of concentration and cause one point of damage to living creatures for every point of Force value your character possesses. 

Biokinesis

This ability gives your character an intimate knowledge of the relationship between his mind and his body. As a result, he is able to voluntarily control functions of his body that normal people cannot.

The first thing a biokinetic character can do is elevate one or more of his attributes for a short period of time. He may increase an Attribute by one for every point up to the number designated by his biokinetic Force Value. It takes an entire minute of concentration to initiate this ability, however it is unlike other kinetic abilities in that it may be maintained without concentration for 1 round per day for every 10 points of Control Value. The amount of time your character wishes to maintain may be designated before initiating this Attribute elevation or consciously terminated by spending a round concentrating, and may be split up between several uses of the ability. 

A character with this ability is able to heal one point of Sp/Bp on his person for every 10 points of his Control Value per hour of meditation.

This ability also allows your character to attune his body to that of another and actually take on the wounds sustained by that person, leaving the other creature fully healed. Your character may absorb one point of Sp/Bp per round from any animal or human for every point of Control Value he possesses.

Finally, this ability allows your character to regenerate an amputated limb in 25 days minus one day for every point of Force Level he has in the ability.

Sonokinesis                

This ability allows your character to pick up sounds not only with his ears but with his whole body as well. It allows your character to determine the distance and direction of any sound, or to pick up sounds beyond his normal perceptual range (in the super and subsonic frequencies) with a successful Task Roll.

This ability also allows your character to manipulate the intensity of any perceived sound in range, either dampening it or making it louder. He can also sustain a sound at a given loudness as long as he actively concentrates on doing so. Additionally, this ability allows your character to manipulate any perceived sound’s frequency and timbre, to change it into a different sound that he has heard before, with a successful Task Roll.

Finally, this ability allows your character to manipulate the intensity and frequency of a given sound to the point where it is just a loud noise that fluctuates between dissonant cacophonies and resonant piercing tones to disrupt the bonds within matter, thus decreasing the molecular bond integrity for the time the character concentrates upon it. The character may thus permanently change the molecular structure and matrices of the object even after concentration is terminated. The character may affect all objects living and nonliving mildly in the area within a radius determined by the character’s PERC range, or may be targeted on one target with rather severe effects. This invasive use of this ability does one point of damage for every point of Force Value your character possesses.

The Mentalic Abilities

Dreams

This ability allows your character to always sleep restfully even when under the assault of another character. Your character can control or alter his dreams as well as his nightmares. This ability also provides insight into dreams as described to them by other people. Such insights might well tell whether a dream is psychic or mundane in nature, and what types of things are on a person’s mind to the point of a sort of dream psychotherapy, to help other characters to lead more happy and productive lives.

This ability can also used invasively by your character to attempt to actually enter the dream of another and observe the dream as either the cameraman or as if he were actually part of the dream itself. Target characters view the invading character as he is in real life, whether or not the target knows the invader personally. This type of action requires a Task Roll to succeed.

Your character can also use this ability to catalyze, control, or alter any dream he is able to perceive, as well as create, recreate, or destroy dreams of the past. Naturally, using this ability in such a manner is invasive and requires a Task Roll to succeed, unless the target is a willing participant.

Drives

Character drives include the primal motivations that cause a character to seek out gratification of the most basic, fundamental needs. Such drives include but are not limited to lust, hunger, sleep, and thirst.

This ability allows your character to control his own drives when unopposed, and to defend himself more effectively when another tries to control them. It also allows your character to perceive the drives of any living creature in the animal kingdom that are at the forefront of the creature’s mind at that moment without requiring a Task Roll.

A Task Roll is required to use this ability invasively to do such things as catalyze drives already on the verge of manifesting themselves, as well as completely altering drives or replacing one drive for another. 

Emotions

This ability allows your character to have an affect on the emotions of a creature. Emotions include attractions or aversions, awe, fear, self-esteem, deep concern, and anxiety. This ability allows your character to control his own emotions and resist active manipulation of his emotions when an attempt to affect them is made by another. It also allows your character to perceive the emotions of any living creature in the animal kingdom that are at the forefront of the creature’s mind at that moment without requiring a Task Roll.

A Task Roll is required to use this ability invasively. Such uses of this Skill include any attempts to catalyze, control, or alter the emotional state of a target creature’s mind to bring about changes in the target’s emotional state.

Memories

This Skill allows your character to catalyze or retrieve memories and allows him to resist active manipulation of his memories by another. It also allows your character to perceive the memories another is experiencing.

When used invasively, this Skill allows your character to implant, remove, or alter the memories of others. This can be especially insidious, as the target may not notice such tampering until the memory being manipulated is accessed. This Skill can be used to interrupt a character's train of thought. ("...What was I talking about?…") 

Perceptions

This skill allows your character to tap into the current perceptions of others as well as resist others tapping into and manipulating your character's perceptions. In order to perceive what the target perceives, your character must possess the same perceptual abilities as the target. Thus if the target has MENT and is reading the emotions of a creature, in order to perceive exactly what the target is perceiving, your character must also possess a similar ability to read the emotions of the creature in a similar manner.

When used invasively, this Skill allows your character to actually manipulate what the target perceives.

Thoughts 

This Skill allows your character to use his MENT to perceive the surface thoughts of others. It also allows your character to send his thoughts to another target creature, so long as the character is a freely willing recipient.

As with the other MENT related Skills, a Task Roll is required to use this Skill invasively. Such uses include any attempt by your character to send thoughts to an unwilling target creature, to alter, implant or eliminate the thoughts of a target creature, or probe more deeply into the intimate thoughts of a creature (Including such things as secrets and strategies). 

The Correspondent Abilities 

While these Abilities may seem to cause all sorts of potential problems such as paradoxes, time in HiBRiD^Ó is considered an entity where the future of a single timeline cannot be changed. Since a Time point can have an infinite number of Time lines going through it, it can be seen that what actually happens is that the character merely changes directions at a given Time point, effectively leaving one time line and entering another simultaneously.  Likewise, the Place ability follows the maxim that matter can not occupy the same space.  Any attempt to teleport that would result in teleporting into an object results in a failed teleport, and losing a number of damage points equal to 100 points minus a number of points equal to your character’s current Control Value.

Place

This ability allows your character to teleport. He can teleport 10 meters for each point  of his Force Value.  A successful Skill roll allows your character to successfully teleport.  A failure on the Control Task Roll drains your character of a number of damage points equal to the number of percentage points your character fails his roll by, in addition to not allowing your character to travel through time.

Time

This ability allows your character to travel through time a number of rounds equal to his current Control Value.  Your character can remain in that time period for a number of hours equal to his Force Value.  A failure on the Control Task Roll drains your character of a number of damage points equal to the number of percentage points your character fails his roll by, in addition to not allowing your character to travel through time.

Section 4:Using Psychic Abilities

Range and Perception

Psychic abilities require your character to perceive a target in order to affect it. This is why your character’s initial Control Value is strongly influenced by Perception. But your character’s Perception also has an effect on the range over which many of the abilities can be used.

A restriction on all of the Kinetic Abilities (except Biokinesis) as well as the Mentalic abilities is that they can only be used when your character gains a clear line of sight with a target. A line of sight cannot be gained if a target is outside of your character’s visual range of acuity as determined by his Perception Attribute, or if your character is unable to directly perceive the target in some other manner.(Because Correspondent abilities affect reality directly, different restrictions are placed on the ranges and durations of these abilities.)

Biokinetic abilities may only be used to affect your own character or when your character is touching a target. In such cases where your character is attempting to affect a target, you need to make a Perception check in order to get in tune with the target’s body.

Psychic Combat

Whenever your character attempts to read or affect the mental patterns of target possessing no mentalic abilities, the target will be completely oblivious to the attack. If your character attempts to read or affect the patterns of another character with mentalic abilities, the target will know of the invasion automatically, and the attack is considered an automatic failure until the two mentalically able characters resolve the situation through mentalic combat.

In order to resolve mentalic combat, both characters simply make opposing Task Rolls.  The character that succeeds to a larger degree is the winner, and remains the dominant combatant for a number of rounds equal to the winning character’s Force Value.

Well, that is about it for psychic combat.  Good luck, and may your character’s head not explode…